U.S. Soccer Announces Host Venues for 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals

NewsJul 12, 2001

CHICAGO (Thursday, July 12, 2001) - U.S. Soccer has determined hosts for the four matches in the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals following last night's Third Round matches, which left six teams from Major League Soccer and two A-League squads remaining in the tournament. The Quarterfinals will all be played on Tuesday, July 24, with two matches broadcast nationally on Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Español. The television schedule, along with the venues and kick-off times for the matches, will be announced on Monday, July 16.

After hosting a doubleheader last night, the A-League's Richmond Kickers will travel to RFK Stadium to take on D.C. United, who defeated the Hershey Wildcats (A-League), 3-0, last night in Richmond. The Kickers defeated the Connecticut Wolves, 2-1, in the night's opening match. The quarterfinal pitting the 1995 Open Cup champion Kickers against the 1996 Open Cup champion United will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 24.

In the other Eastern quarterfinal, the New England Revolution will host the Columbus Crew at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both teams are coming off 2-1 third-round victories last night as the Revolution topped the visiting Charleston Battery (A-League), and the Crew came back to defeat last year's Open Cup runners-up, the Miami Fusion, in a match played at Columbus Crew Stadium.

The defending Open Cup champion Chicago Fire will host the A-League's Pittsburgh Riverhounds in their Western quarterfinal show-down at a site and time to be determined. The Fire will be looking for their 11th overall victory in tournament play and are currently on a seven-game winning streak. The Fire needed a stoppage-time goal by Hristo Stoitchkov to defeat the Kansas City Wizards last night in a rematch of MLS Cup 2000. The Riverhounds advanced with a 2-1 victory over the host El Paso Patriots (A-League).

After scoring back-to-back home victories in the Second and Third Rounds, the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) will play their first road match of the 2001 Open Cup when they travel to meet the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) with the site and kick-off time to be determined. The Earthquakes escaped a tough match against the A-League's Milwaukee Rampage last night in Milwaukee, advancing 7-6 in a penalty kick shootout after the Rampage held them to a scoreless draw through regulation and overtime. Meanwhile, the Galaxy rebounded from a 1-0 deficit to post a 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders Select of the Premier Development League, the only amateur squad to advance to the Third Round.

Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Español, which broadcast the semifinals and final last year, added several more U.S. Open Cup matches to its television schedule in 2001. This year's broadcast includes one second round game, two quarterfinal match-ups, along with the semifinals and final.

Dating back to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer cup competition in the United States and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the U.S., the annual Open Cup is an 88-year-old single-elimination tournament based on similar competitions played across the world concurrent with domestic league action.

In 1999, the U.S. Open Cup was renamed the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to honor the long-time soccer supporter and pioneer. Hunt, the owner of the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards of MLS and the owner of the Dallas Tornados of the old NASL, was one of the sports first major ownership figures and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.